Lachlan Stevens-McNab claims elite podium at UCI MTB World Series in Switzerland

Lachlan Stevens-McNab. Photo / Ed Sykes/SWpix.com

Rotorua mountain biker Lachlan Stevens-McNab grabbed his first elite podium of the season, placing third in the men’s downhill final at Lenzerheide in Switzerland.

The Trek Factory rider was outstanding down the tight, dry course which forms the largest bike area in Switzerland, at the final European round of the UCI MTB World Series, Cycling NZ said.

Stevens-McNab, 21, moved into the top-10 in the elite men’s standings and added to his two podiums in his rookie year last year.

The Kiwi junior men continued to shine with a double podium to Jonty Williamson (Palmerston North, Yeti-Fox Racing) and Oli Clark (Kaikōura, MS Racing) second and third in impressive performances.

It moved Clark to fifth and Williamson to sixth in the standings behind fellow Kiwi Tyler Waite in fourth, with all within reach of a top-three season effort.

Stevens-McNab’s fellow Kiwi in the Trek Factory team, Sacha Earnest, returned from injury that forced her out of the world championships to score a season-best fifth in her rookie year in the elite women’s category.

Earnest, who produced a superb run in the final, moved up to 13th in the overall standings with fellow Kiwi Jess Blewitt (Queenstown, Cube Factory) in eighth.

Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch was the best of the Kiwis in the junior women’s final, with the Santa Cruz Syndicate rider sixth just ahead of Rotorua’s Bellah Birchall (Team High Country).

Hulsebosch is in fourth place overall, five points off a top-three finish, with Birchall sixth.

The Lenzerheide event concludes with the cross-country races tomorrow where Kiwi Samara Maxwell is looking to extend her lead in the elite competition.

Downhill and cross-country riders then head to Lake Placid-Mt Van Hoevenberg which hosts the penultimate round of the UCI MTB World Cup on October 3-5 ahead of the final stop at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada on October 9-12.

Downhill results:

Elite men final: Amaury Pierron (FRA) 2:44.699, 1; Henri Liefer (GER) 2:45.106, 2; Lachie Stevens-McNab (NZL, Trek Factory) 2:45.513, 3.

Elite women: Tahee Seagrave (GBR) 3:11.579, 1; Nina Hoffmann (GER) 3:11.640, 2; Valentina Holl (AUT) 3:12.394, 3. Also: Sacha Earnest (Auckland, Trek Factory) 3:16.197, 5.

Junior men: Asa Vermette (USA) 2:44.707, 1; Jonty Williamson (Palmerston North, Yeti Fox) 2:49.491, 2; Oli Clark (Kaikōura, MS Racing) 2:50.463, 3. Also NZers: Seppy Binsbergen (Taranaki) 3:09.248, 16; Tyler Waite (Clive, Yeti-Fox) 3:11.176, 17.

Junior women: Rosa Zierl (AUT) 3:11.437, 1; Aletha Ostgaard (USA) 3:14.588, 2; Marie Rosa Jensen (NOR) 3:16.797, 3. Also NZers: Eliana Hulsebosch (Tauranga, Santa Cruz Synd) 3:19.669, 6; Bellah Birchall (Rotorua, High Country) 3:25.152, 7.